Best Dog Toys – Interactive Food Toys

One of the best ways to keep a dog engaged and out of mischief, is by investing in some fun dog toys. Remember though, that expensive dog toys do not necessarily mean that they are good, safe, or fun.

Before getting a toy for my dog, I always do some research to make sure it is safe and durable.

Always supervise a dog when he gets a new toy.

Consult with a vet if there are any safety concerns.

Best Dog Toys – Interactive Food Toys

The best dog toys are the ones that will capture our dog’s interest, and exercise his mind.

My dogs love playing most with their interactive food toys.

Food is a prime motivator for my dogs. It not only encourages them to play with the toy for a longer period of time, but also put in the extra effort to figure out how it works. They love trying different push, bite, and roll strategies, to find the fastest, most efficient way to get at the food. They return to the toy time and again, because there may be more rewards in there, waiting to be found.

Here are a list of interactive food toys that work well with my dogs (a Shiba Inu and a Siberian Husky). Note that the following descriptions are only based on my own experiences. Different dogs have different temperaments, and will respond differently to a dog toy.

Shiba Inu Sephy caught raiding the toy box.

Shiba Inu Sephy and his Extreme Hol-ee Roller Ball interactive toy.

1. Hol-ee Roller Ball

These balls are great and safe for the teeth. All we have to do is get some hard dog biscuits, and stuff them into the ball.

There are two versions of the Hol-ee Roller Ball – the regular ball which has thinner rubber joints, and the Extreme-Ball which has thick rubber joints (shown in the picture to the right). I much prefer the extreme version because it is more challenging, as well as more durable.

Originally, I filled this dog toy with Large Innova Health Bars, which worked very well. However, I stopped using them after getting my Siberian Husky, because she is allergic to oatmeal. Instead, I am currently using Baa-Baa-Q’s lamb lung.

The Twist and Treat is a good one to start with. Simply untwist the dog toy, put kibble inside, then twist the cover back on. At first, do not twist the cover on too tightly. In this way, our dog gets rewarded well for playing with the toy. Once he gains some experience, we can start tightening the lid more.

CAUTION: My Shiba Inu was able to tear off chunks from this toy when it was left with him unsupervised. Luckily, he just likes shredding and does not eat the shredded bits. It is best to take this toy away, once our dog is done with getting all the kibble out.

The Squirrel Dudeis another fun dog toy that we can fill with kibble or other treats. If our dog has trouble getting the food out, we can cut off some of the rubber tabs at the bottom of the toy.

I have a full 4 tabbed Squirrel Dude, which I fill with little pieces of kibble. I also have a 3 tabbed Squirrel Dude that I fill with kibble and some larger, higher priority treats, e.g. freeze dried liver treats.

The most interesting one in the group is the Tug-a-Jug. I think it is hardest to get food out of this toy, so my Shiba Inu will only work on it when he is bored or really hungry, and does not have access to other food toys. My Siberian Husky, however, seems to really enjoy this one.

Initially, I unscrew the cover from the bottom of the jug, and fill it up with a good amount of kibble (over half full). This ensures that my dog is amply rewarded for playing with the toy. After he gains some experience, I slowly reduce the amount of kibble in the jug. It is difficult to get the last bits of kibble out, so I add more before the jug becomes too empty.

Siberian Husky Shania lying amid her interactive food toys.

4. Buster Cube

In the beginning, I put the Buster Cube setting to maximum, so that my dog will be motivated to play with it. As my dog learns how the toy works, I slowly decrease the cube setting to make it more challenging.

When filling the cube, make sure all the kibble goes into the holes around the central column. Otherwise, the kibble will just collect at the bottom of the column. Then, when the Cube gets rolled, all the collected kibble will come out at once.

The Buster Cube does not work well on slippery, hard, surfaces (e.g. tile floors, wooden floors), because it will only slide on the floor, rather than roll. As a result, no food will come out. I use the Cube on carpeted surfaces and the backyard.

Shiba Inu Sephy tired out after a Buster Cube dog toy session.

5. Rhino Stuff & Chew

This nice rubber chew ball has chambers all around, that we may fill with food. It is most effective to use wet food, such as sardines, or boiled chicken. Sardines work really well with my Shiba, and he is extremely motivated to get it all out.

I normally give him one of these at night, for going into his crate. I also give him a Greenie to help clean his teeth.

6. Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball

The Omega Treat Ball is a great kibble ball. It is easy to fill with kibble, and the ball only releases a few pieces of food at a time. As a result, this toy engages my Shiba for a good amount of time.

If you are looking for more ideas, here is a list of other fun dog toys including chew toys, tug toys, balls, frisbees, and homemade toys.

Comments

We have a 5 month old Labradoodle puppy that is fine when I am home, but when I leave her with my husband and son she goes ballistic. We have only had her for 3 weeks. She scratches at the front door, jumps on the couch, chews on everything, claws up the window coverings, etc. How can we help her be comfortable without my presence? My husband and son are very loving with her, but her behavior is stressing us out. Your help is greatly appreciated!

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Just found this. Am going crazy trying to occupy 3-month old husky who loves all food, and our back yard is trashed from a week’s full of rain in IL, so can’t play much outside yet!

My 4 year old Shiba, Bodhi, almost never plays with his toys. Rarely he will play tug with my son. He much prefers to rough house with us and run around the house.

Recently we took in another Shiba, Duke. Duke is 11 months old and we are dog sitting for the foreseeable future. Duke loves toys. Mostly softballs and baseballs. He loves to tear the cover off, or drop them down the stairs so that he can fetch them and bring them back up.

Bodhi now decided he wants to play with his toys out of jealousy. The pups get along pretty well, despite Duke annoying Bodhi from time to time with puppy antics. They wear each other out very well with wrestling and sprinting laps around the back yard, weaving slalom courses in between the trees.

I’ve never tried interactive food toys, as I am a little worried about stained furniture and carpets. Maybe I’ll give some of these a try. Dogs, just like people, could always be happier.

Another thing that is interesting about Bodhi is his strange behavior with treats. He will not eat a treat that is hard or crunchy unless he is in is cage. He will run around the house, holding it in his mouth looking to bury it while whining. If I break it up into little bits he will eat it. Otherwise, in order to eat a whole treat he must be in his cage. Any thoughts on this?

Hi Kevin, I have a almost 10 months old shiba boy called Suzu. He has a kind of simular behaviour. When I give Suzu a spesial treat, like a dryed and smoked bone or dried pig ear, he will do the same. He runs around in our backyard while whining. He wants to take it in the house to hide it in his cage. When that doesn’t work out for him he will burry it in the garden by shoveling soil on it with his nose. I think shibas are so close to nature that they feel like saving food for worse times.

Maybe the cage for Bodhi feels like the only save place to eat his treat without the threat of another predator that could take his treat away? Like could happen in nature with a prey. Than it is a question of life or death, no food no survival. Suzu gets upset when I give him the bone. He wants to take it to a save place in the house. I don’t allow him because I don’t want the greasy thing on my marble floor. So to be honnest, the bone is no fun for him like it should be. And also not for me. It should be fun to give your dog a treat. It is frustrating for both of us so I let the bone where it is now, in a paper bag in the garage. Maybe I try again later.

Ok, I couldn’t let it. I gave Suzu the bone again. He acted like befor, so I took it from him. A few minutes later I gave it again but kept holding the bone on one side. Then Suzu started likking it at tried to bite some tissue of. Then I layed it on the ground still holding it and Suzu layed down still chewing on it. Carefully I let loose then and he continued chewing on it. It was like he had to learn. Did he miss mommies lecture about how to tear a prey and eat it together with his shiba familly?

My Shiba is the same way. If I give him a high priority chew or food item that he cannot finish quickly, he will get stressed and run around trying to hide it. He did that even when he was an only dog. It is an instinct with him, which I call the “bury bone” syndrome. 😀

Dogs bury food, chew bones, toys and prey. This behavior was once key to the survival of dogs’ wild ancestors because it allowed them to leave food safely concealed and then return to eat it later. ~~[WebMD]

KONG toys I have the best luck with keeping my Husky entertained. Expecially the weable-wable styled ones. He knocks and bats that around for ours. But I just usually fill them with treats, I should try to useing his food instead since he showing little interest in it in a bowl lately.

Thanks so much for this! I have a Shiba and a Malamute and have been looking for some toys to keep them busy now that my husband and I both work outside the home. I’ve been feeling bad because they seem so bored when we’re gone, but hopefully some of these toys will help!

How long can a toy poodle hold it’s pee or poop? My dad will not install a dog door and no one can stay at home to let it out so I’m very worried that it will urinate around the house or on our new couch.

How long is your puppy going to be left alone every day? What will your dog’s daily routine be like?

Small dogs have small bladders. People often don’t realize that their tiny pets may need to go out more frequently than their larger counterparts, especially as puppies. Take your small dog out often, and watch for circling or sniffing the floor. These signs often mean that it’s time for a trip outside. Interestingly, though small dogs are more often cold than hot, many of them will also start panting when they need to go out. ~~[ASPCA]

A puppy does not know that he needs to go outside to potty, so it is up to us to teach him what our human rules are. Potty training requires time and supervision. Smaller dogs may need to potty more frequently, so greater supervision may be needed.

In addition, a new puppy will require a lot of training, supervision, and socialization, so that he grows up to be confident and balanced. An adult dog still requires good daily exercise and the company of his people.

I enjoy being with my dogs very much, but they are a big time commitment.

I have a question regarding the Omega Paw Tricky Treat Ball. I’ve been feeding my dog out of one for years and it suddenly occurred to me that the plastic may not be a good choice for him to eat out of. Does anyone know if its BHPA free etc.? Thank you. Tracey

That depends a lot on the day to day situation and on the dog. I use my dog’s daily food for training, during walks, for grooming, following house rules, teeth brushing, nail grinding, etc. Whatever is left over I put in interactive food toys.

How much I put in the toys depends on whether I go on a longer walk, whether there is teeth brushing and other grooming tasks, and also on how much total I feed my dog.

We have had success with some of the StarMark Everlastings toys, especially the pickle pocket, bento ball and groovy ball. Our 16 month old shiba is an aggressive chewer and has not managed to destroy these after several months. You can purchase the chews from Everlasting treats themselves or freeze peanut butter, wet food, etc in the toy. Size medium is great for our guy (25 lbs). Of note, they are much cheaper on Amazon compared to when we saw them in stores.

When I first got my shiba-mix a tug-a-jug, it seemed like it took her forever playing with it before it was empty. One day I gave it to her, and after playing with it for just a little while, she picked it up by the rope, drug it up the stairs, set it up at the top of the stairs, and with the slightest nudge of her nose, pushed it so it fell end over end down the stairs shaking food out the whole way. Clever girl, always keeping me on my toes.

Thanks for your reply! I have another question for dog’s chew toys. I want to buy something for dog to chew with, such as those plactic chew toys. And there are many of them sold on Amazon. However, few dog owners say those can be very harmful to dog since they will eat the plastic toy. Thus, do you seggest us to buy thise plastic chew toys? What do you recommand, please teach us? Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Good chew toys are not easy to find and experiences will also be different based on the dog. Some dog are really strong chewers, others are less so. My Shiba, Sephy, is a very strong chewer and often he will exert a lot of force on a chew toy. There are several things I look out for while getting chew toys – 1. I don’t want the chew toy to be too hard. Sephy cracked one of his teeth chewing on a piece of processed deer antler that was too hard. Now, I am very careful about the chew toys I pick for him, so that I do not get anything that is too hard and that has no-give.

2. I don’t want the chew toy to be too soft either. If the toy is too soft, Sephy may tear off chunks of it, swallow it, then it may become a choking hazard, or cause digestive issues. Rawhide, for example, can be *risky* because of this, so I *do not* give my dogs any rawhide chews.

3. I don’t want the chew toy to contain anything toxic or any extra parts that my dog may pull off and swallow. I make sure to remove all tags and loose parts before giving a toy to my dog. Soft toys or squeaker toys, for example, are a no-no for chewing. I only use those under close supervision during structured play.

With my adult dogs, I use strong Extreme Kongs (the ones made of hard rubber) and bully sticks for chews. They work well for my dogs, but as I said before, things may be different for different dogs. I try to evaluate each toy for safety, for each of my dogs. Whenever I give my dog anything new, I make sure that I am there to supervise him, to make sure that the toy is safe for chewing.

For my Husky puppies, Frozen Kongs have worked well. The cold helps with teething, and the frozen food keeps them engaged for at least a little while.

This is such a great site for shiba. I just bought one recently, and I am waiting for the breeder to send me the puppy when he is 8-weeks old. Just wondering do you keep a list of all things you bought for shiba? If you do, would you please send it to me? I am very excited about this puppy, but I am also worried; thus, I want to be well prepared for this little friend to join our lives. Thanks!

Great suggestions. Those Karlie boards look really interesting. Do they keep your dog interested for long? Do they work well with medium sized dogs (45 pounds or so)?

I have not tried the Kong Genius. Does it hold up well to strong chewers? One time I got a rubber tube toy for my dog, and instead of figuring out how to get the food out through the little toy opening, he decided to make some larger holes that proved to be a lot more effective. 😀

Only problem they become pros at one level and I keep having to buy newer harder toys .

Yeah, I always have that problem too. Gotta love dogs – they keep us sharp and well exercised!

The hol-ee roller extreme states it’s a 5 inch ball that is appropriate for small to even extra large breeds. 5 inches doesn’t sound very big but it looks to be a decent size in the pic you have of it with your furbaby. My mastiff puppy loves balls & food toys, kong wobbler is her current favorite. I’m thinking she will love that ball! At a whopping 72 lbs @ 5 months old and the potential to be around 170 lbs like her Mom, I’m just hoping it’s big enough not to be swallowed! The regular hol-ee roller has a 9 inch size but I believe you said it has thinner rubber joints. Gonna try the extreme, thanks for the reviews, they have been a great help!

My parents adopted a 9 month old Siberian Husky. The dog was obviously abused because she really avoided people in the house and refused to come inside the house. How can my parents gain the dogs trust? Also they plan on introducing a male chow chow puppy into the mix, Will the Husky be inclined to hurt the puppy. I’ve read that Huskies have a strong prey drive. We don’t want the Husky to eat the Chow. Any suggestions?

As for a second dog, it worked out best for me to have a bonding period with just one dog. After Sephy got to know me and trust me, then I started looking for a second dog to join the family. By then, I also knew what type of dogs Sephy gets along with, how he likes to play, etc. This made is easier to get a second dog that would get along well with Sephy. Here is more on what I did in terms of getting a second dog.

Premier has some soft balls that are already stuffed and cannot be punctured. However, I only use these balls during play-time and under supervision. Otherwise my dogs will start chewing on them, and they won’t hold up to chewing.

Kong also has some medium sized balls that have similar consistency to tennis balls. They hold up pretty well with my dogs during play-time. However, again, these balls are not meant for chewing so I only use them under supervision.

Make sure to check the actual dimensions of the balls to make sure they are big enough.

With Lara, I started by making it very-very simple to get the food out. For example, with the Twist-and-Turn toy, I would not fully close it. In fact, I left a rather big hole so kibble comes out easily. In this way, she is motivated to play with the toy, and gains confidence with it. Once she is good at it, I slowly increase the challenge.

Another simple toy that I used, is the Tire Biter. I just put some kibble into the tire, so stuff drops out as soon as she pushes it around.

Sometimes, I would also help Lara get stuff out. For example, with frozen Kongs, I would initially scrape stuff off with a chopstick and let her lick the food off the chopstick. Then, once she gets better, I let her work on the top stuff, but help her with the deeper parts.

I also give her part of her food for doing commands, touch exercises, bite inhibition exercises, etc. In this way, I set her up for success, and give her many opportunities to work for her food.

Our Shiba Inu, Sheba, does this “butt-move” also & it always make us laugh! Yes I have always wondered if it was just our Sheba being silly or if other Shiba Inus do this too! She is such a wonderful dog & has us trained very well! lol I could never have imagined how therapeutic Sheba has been for us since we got her. There is never a day that we don’t smile or laugh or just say how adorable she is & how much we love her!

Hello, last year I was needed away from home and my husband gave our Shiba Lucky a large dog Kong. He stuffed it with peanut butter, froze it, gave it to the dog while they painted the front of our home. Later when they went to check on the dog, the Kong was gone and there were red pieces of rubber all over the place. (Thank God he only shreds thing and does not eat what he destroys.) He had apparently destroyed the whole Kong in about an hour and a half. Have your dogs ever done this? These Kongs are supposed to be nearly indestructable, but I have noticed that if a toy states that on the package, Lucky can usually take it apart.

Later when they went to check on the dog, the Kong was gone and there were red pieces of rubber all over the place. (Thank God he only shreds thing and does not eat what he destroys.)

Sephy has torn apart the Premier Twist-and-Turn which looked really durable to me. Like Lucky though, he just likes shredding and doesn’t eat the stuff – which is a really good thing! 😀

As for the Kongs, I now prefer getting the black Kongs, which are supposedly for strong chewers. They also last for much longer compared to the red Kongs, which don’t seem to stand up as well when exposed to the sun. Still though, I think that if Shiba really wanted to, he could still tear it apart. It would just take more effort and time.

I know this isn’t one of your recomended but I thought i’d try the busy body tug a treat. I gave it to my shiba tonight and he didn’t seem too interested. I made sure there were plenty of treats in there and everything. Will he just get interested eventually?

The Tug-a-jug toy is one of the more difficult interactive toys, I think. When Sephy is really hungry and all of his other toys are empty, he will work on that. If there are easier pickings available, he will go for the lower hanging fruit. 😀

My adopted 3 year old Shiba girl Ziva’s first playful moment with me involved an extensive demonstration of the air-butt move, with accompanying Shiba grins. She’s hilarious and obviously really enjoys it. I try to explain the grin to startled guests, but they don’t seem totally convinced that its all fun for her.

Yes! She is in fact named after Ziva David. She’s a shelter dog that I rescued last spring. Knowing how difficult the breed can be, I had planned to get her to the regional Shiba Rescue, but she fit in so well here that I kept her. She gets along very well with my cat–they play constantly and keep each other busy. Still smiling at all her favorite guests, who are getting used to this unusal practice. She neck-pins and air butts me first thing in the morning. She’s a perfect companion.

So I have to ask, is Sephy a bit dramatic when he gets a new toy or is being lazy with a puzzle toy or kong?

I ask because Reptar has developed this super annoying habit of taking laziness to the next level. I recently bought him a new Kong and put a treat in it for him. The past hour he’s been carrying the Kong around the house in his mouth while whimpering and crying for help. He’ll eventually bring me the Kong for me to do the work. Is this a Shiba thing? I know they’re lazy but the whimpering, really? I wonder if it’s because the actual Kong is new. hmmm, oh Shiba you always keep me guessing.

He does this with other very high priority items too, such as a pigs ear or something he doesn’t frequently. He’ll carry that around crying and making Shiba noise for a little bit until he feels the need to hide it around the house, “save it for later” kind of thing. When he has two, he will start to chew them. I get that, it’s a hording thing I guess.

He also does this crying Shiba noise when we give him a nutrident treat (similar to greenie but it doesn’t make him sick). He gets one every day or every other day and without fail he’ll run around the house whimpering, showing if off and giving it to us to admire then he expects it back so he can enjoy it.

In general, Reptar has become very vocal, not necessarily in the give me what I want way, but with Shiba noise and whimpering mainly.

Wow, I didn’t expect that post to be so long. So is this ultra laziness and helpless whimpering act a Shiba trait or just something Reptar is doing extra special for us? LOL.

OH! and I see in the picture with Shania and all her toys that they have a tug-a-jug. Do they know how to work this on their own? Reptar understands how to get food out, but I have to push the rope back in for him to pull it out. Just curious.

PS – I feel like I know your dogs really well 🙂 I love your site and posts! very helpful and entertaining (esp Shiba’s diary posts)!

The past hour he’s been carrying the Kong around the house in his mouth while whimpering and crying for help. He’ll eventually bring me the Kong for me to do the work. Is this a Shiba thing?

Sephy just waits for Shania to get the food out and then he mooches off her – lol. If she eats everything, he will come over to me and whimper. He will only work on his kibble toys as a last resort.

He’ll carry that around crying and making Shiba noise for a little bit until he feels the need to hide it around the house, “save it for later” kind of thing.

Haha – yeah Sephy also did this with his Greenie. He used to do this with rawhide but I don’t give those to him anymore. Nowadays I give him his Greenie at night in his crate, and that seems to work for him. He will settle down and work on it. Shibas have such interesting personalities 😀

Yeah they both used to work on the Tug-a-Jug. Sephy got all of the kibble out one time when he was really bored (during Shania’s surgery). I was really impressed. But nowadays he has figured out other better strategies for getting food.

I think he can get food more easily from me than from the Tug-a-Jug! He just pokes me and food comes out. LOL

Our Shiba did that too! We figured out it was when she had to poop and wanted to eat the treat badly, but didn’t have room in her belly for it. So she would cry and walk around with it. We would take it away, take her out for a walk, she would poop and then upon returning, we give it to her and she eats it!

I looked at the Crazy Critters toy on your site and it definitely looks interesting. I definitely have to check it out. Maybe attach one to the flirt pole 🙂

Also, if you like the Buster Cube, you may also like the Omega Ball. My Shiba actually likes that more than the Cube. It works in a similar way, but the ball can work on all types of surfaces, and he pushes it around everywhere during meal times.

I can identify with all you say re Shibas. Your dogs are lucky to have such a involved “parent”. My 8 year old shiba is an absolute sweetie. She has a maneuver where she puts her head and front paws down like she is standing on her neck and sticks her rear in the air. Very cute. I wonder is this is unique to shebas. thanks Cynthia

She has a maneuver where she puts her head and front paws down like she is standing on her neck and sticks her rear in the air.

LOL – My Sephy does exactly the same thing! I call it his butt-move. Sometimes he will do this and then flip over – it is too funny. Shibas are really very goofy dogs.

I wonder is this is unique to shebas.

I wonder about that too. When I talk to dog-people about this they all think I am talking about the play-bow but this Shiba-butt-move is different. It is not a bow but really the whole butt sticking up -lol.

I will have to do some research into this and see if other breed owners talk about this as well 😀